Francis Perceval Eliot: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Military officer, auditor, man of letters}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}

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| name = Francis Perceval Eliot

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| placeofburial = [[St Marylebone Parish Church|St Marylebone]], London

| allegiance = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}<br>{{flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}

| serviceyears = 1773–1806

| commands = [[14th Regiment of Foot]]<br>[[Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment)|Staffordshire Yeomanry Cavalry]]<br>[[Staffordshire Militia#Supplementary Militia|3rd Staffordshire Militia]]<br>[[Staffordshire Militia#King's Own Staffordshire Militia|2nd Staffordshire Militia]]

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On 15 December 1773 he was commissioned as an [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]] in the [[14th Regiment of Foot]]. On 28 March 1774 he joined his regiment, moving to quarters in Dover on 13 May 1774. In March 1775 he left for America, where, on 25 August 1775, he was promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] in the 14th Foot. By 28 November 1778, he had returned to [[St George's, Hanover Square]], London, where he married [[Anne Breynton]] ({{circa}} 1756 – 15 August 1829), the daughter of the famous minister in [[Nova Scotia]], Rev Dr [[John Breynton]] ({{circa}} 1719–1799). In 1790, he bought [[Elmhurst Hall]] and various other properties in [[Staffordshire]], while still maintaining a house in London. In 1794 he raised the [[Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment)|Staffordshire Yeomanry Cavalry]] and was appointed its [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] and commander of the Lichfield Troop on 20 September. He left the regiment whenhewas appointed [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-Colonel]] Commandant of the new [[Staffordshire Militia#Supplementary Militia|3rd Staffordshire Militia]] on 25 April 1798. He was promoted to [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] on 15 January 1799, but the regiment was disbanded later that year. On 28 June 1803hewas appointed colonel of a new [[Staffordshire Militia#King's Own Staffordshire Militia|2nd Staffordshire Militia]], but this was also disbandedin1805.<ref>[https://thisreilluminatedschoolofmars.wordpress.com/notes-on-the-dress-of-the-militia/staffordshire-militia-1776-1816/ Staffordshire Militia at 'This Re-Illuminated School of Mars'.]</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/recordsqueensow01websgoog/page/n8/mode/2up?view=theater Capt P.C.G. Webster, ''The Records of the Queen's Own Royal Regiment of Staffordshire Yeomanry'', Lichfield: Lomax, 1870, pp. 3–11; Appendix.]</ref><ref>War Office, ''A List of the Officers of the Militia, the Gentlemen & Yeomanry Cavalry, and Volunteer Infantry of the United Kingdom'', 11th Edn, London: War Office, 14 October 1805/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 2005, ISBN 978-1-84574-207-2.</ref>

In 1797, he tried to sell off his Staffordshire estates and by 1800 he had moved to [[Lichfield]]. In 1806, he finally disposed of his Staffordshire properties, pulling down the derelict Elmhurst Hall. He moved back to London full-time, and took an oath as a [[Commissioners of Audit|Commissioner of Public Accounts]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.history.ac.uk/office/comms_audit.html |title=Office-Holders: Commissioners - Audit<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=24 September 2007 |archive-date=28 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928194919/http://www.history.ac.uk/office/comms_audit.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> based at [[Somerset House]] in the [[Strand, London|Strand]]. Around this time he became a man of letters, addressing the foremost politicians of the time, while also writing for a magazine – [[The Aegis (magazine)|The Aegis]]. The next year, he attempted to be elected as MP for Westminster in the [[1807 United Kingdom general election]]. On Friday 8 May 1807, he attended a meeting at [[Covent Garden]], London where he was introduced to the meeting, by [[Frederick Philipse Robinson|Col. Robinson]] who at that time commanded London Recruiting District, and the Pimlico battalion of the Queen's Loyal Volunteers from about 1803. His election was unsuccessful and he returned to his literary pursuits.

He died at his home at 22 [[Portman Street]], London on 23 August 1818 and was buried on 28 August in or by the western wall of the [[St Marylebone Parish Church|St Marylebone]] burial ground on the south side of Paddington Street, London – near to his father-in-law, the Rev Dr John Breynton.

[[Image:Francispercevaleliot 1.jpg|thumb|right|{{center|'''Francis Perceval Eliot'''<br>(1755–1818)<br>''with permission from''<br>The Eliot Archives}}]]On 28 November 1778 at [[St George's, Hanover Square]], London, Francis married Anne Breynton ({{circa}} 1756 – 15 August 1829), the daughter of Rev Dr [[John Breynton]], and had by her 7 sons and 3 daughters:

#William Granville Eliot (7 September 1779 – 26 August 1855),<ref>[http://viaf.org/viaf/3559513 William Granville Eliot at VIAF]</ref><ref>[https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D42401 The National Archives | National Register of Archives | William Granville Eliot | PROB 11/2222 - Volume number: 19 Quire numbers: 901-950 ]</ref> Lieutenant-Colonel [[Royal Horse Artillery|RHA]], who married firstly Harriet Ann Mann (30 June 1776 – 30 December 1812), a daughter of [[Gother Mann]] (21 December 1746 – 27 March 1830) Lieutenant-General of the Royal Engineers and Inspector General of Fortifications, and secondly Ann Heywood (24 May 1791 – 17 October 1857), a daughter of [[Samuel Heywood (chief justice)|Samuel Heywood]]

#Francis Breynton Eliot (1 April 1781 – 5 May 1855), Captain, who married Maria Sweet, was posted to Canada where they became the progenitors of the Canadian branch of the Eliot military family

#[[Edward John Eliot]] (20 September 1782 – 6 November 1863), Captain, who married Margaret James (died 10 September 1881)

#George Augustus Eliot (19 February 1784 – 6 August 1835), Lieutenant-Colonel RSC, who married Jane McCrea (9 March 1794 – 30 November 1877). George Augustus Eliot's army career progressed from the 62nd Foot, 103rd Foot, 68th Foot until arriving at Lower Canada. Here, his regiment is described variously as RSC or Royal England Province of Lower Canada District of Quebec. He described his rank as Brevet Colonel or Lieutenant-Colonel of Brigade.

#Elizabeth Mary Eliot (11 October 1785 – 21 July 1872) who died unmarried

#Lionel Ducket Eliot (27 March 1787 – March 1855), who married Charlotte Russell (1791 – 16 August 1851)

#Ann Cathrina Eliot (8 November 1789 – 30 October 1891) who died unmarried

#Henry Algernon Eliot (18 May 1790 – 17 August 1857), Rear-Admiral [[Royal Navy|RN]], who married firstly Jane Crombie (died 27 January 1846), daughter of [[Alexander Crombie]], and secondly Maynard Baring (1813 – 15 January 1856), daughter of George Baring and granddaughter of [[Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet|Sir Francis Baring]]

#Frances Charlotte Eliot (23 December 1791 – 28 October 1819) who died unmarried

#Charles Turberville Eliot (4 July 1794 – 17 February 1875), who married Elizabeth Reed (1809 - January 1863)

Many of Eliot's sons went on to play significant roles in the British Armed Forces. His widow died 15 August 1829 at Blackheath, and was buried 19 August at St Mary's Church, Lewisham, Kent.

== Publications ==

* 1791–1800 Common Place Book<ref>{{UK National Archives ID|id=F58029|name=Francis Perceval Eliot}}</ref><ref>[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=P9113 The National Archives | National Register of Archives | Francis Perceval Eliot | University of Birmingham Library Special Collection Ref: 6/vi/5 ]</ref>

* 1794 "Letters on the subject of the arm'd [[Yeomanry]], addressed to the ... Earl Gower Sutherland, etc." by Francis Perceval Eliot, second edition published Stafford 1794.

* 1797 "Six letters, etc." by Francis Perceval Eliot – another edition of "Letters on the subject of the arm'd Yeomanry, addressed to the ... Earl of Gower Sutherland, etc." – published London 1797 British Library Shelfmark: 8827.f.30

* 1807 "Demonstration, Or Financial Remarks With Occasional Observations on Political Occurrences" Printed for John Cawthorn, 1807 (London: T. Collins) 117 pages, xi, [10], [13] folded leaves of plates; 22&nbsp;cm British Library Shelfmark: 8135.g.11

* 1811 "Observations on the Fallacy of the Supposed Depreciation of the Paper Currency of the Kingdom With Reasons For Dissenting From The Report of the Bullion Committee" by Francis Perceval Eliot Printed for J.J. Stockdale, London 1811. 171 pages, 24&nbsp;cm British Library Shelfmark: 1028.e.3(4) and 1028.e.5.(1)

* 1811 "A Supplement To Observations on the Fallacy of the Supposed Depreciation of the Paper Currency of the Kingdom, &c." Printed for J.J. Stockdale, London 1811 28 pages, 21&nbsp;cm

* 1814 "A series of letters on the Political and financial State of the nation at the commencement of 1814" by Falkland (i.e. Francis Perceval Eliot) – published 1814. British Library Shelfmark: P.P.3557.w

* 1814 "Letters on the Political and financial situation of the countryin1814; addressed to the Earl of Liverpool" by Francis Perceval Eliot – published 1814 British Library Shelfmark: P.P.3557.w

* 1815 "Three letters on the financial and political situation of the country in the year 1815 ... addressed to the Earl of Liverpool" by Francis Perceval Eliot – published 1815 British Library Shelfmark: P.P.3557.w. These letters proposed a system of measures based on a single weight measure, similar to the metric system used in France at the time<ref>{{citation |last=Zupko |first=Ronald Edward |title=Revolution in Measurement: Western European Weights and Measures Since the Age of Science |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=twUNAAAAIAAJ&q=francis+perceval+eliot&pg=PA96 |volume=186 |year=1990 |publisher=American Philosophical Society |isbn=9780871691866 |accessdate=25 August 2014}}</ref>

* 1816 "Letters on the political and financial situation of the British Empire,inthe year 1816 ... addressed to the Earl of Liverpool" – published 1816 British Library Shelfmark: P.P.3557.w and C.T.114(1)

*[[Staffordshire Militia]]

{{s-start}}

{{s-mil}}

{{succession box|title=Lieutenant of the [[14th Regiment of Foot]]|before=Unknown|years=1775-|after=Unknown}}

{{succession box|title=Major of the [[Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment)|Staffordshire Yeomanry Cavalry]] |before=New unit|years=1794-98|after=William Tennant}}

{{succession box|title=Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the [[Staffordshire Militia#Supplementary Militia|3rd Staffordshire Militia]] |before=New unit|years=1798-9|after= Disbanded}}

{{succession box|title=Colonel of the [[Staffordshire Militia#King's Own Staffordshire Militia|2nd Staffordshire Militia]] |before=New unit|years=1803-5|after=Disbanded}}

{{s-gov}}

{{succession box|title=Commissioner of Public Accounts |before=Unknown|years=1806-1818|after=Unknown}}

{{s-reg|de}}

{{s-bef| before=[[Amable Gaspard Antoine Elliott|Amable Elliott]]}}

{{s-ttl| title=[[Count Elliott]] | years=}}

{{s-non| reason=Declined and Discontinued}}

{{s-end}}

[[Category:19th-century English non-fiction writers]]

[[Category:British magazine writers]]

[[Category:Eliot military family|Francis Perceval Eliot]]

[[Category:West Yorkshire Regiment officers]]

[[Category:Staffordshire Militia officers]]

[[Category:Counts Elliott| ]]

[[Category:Military personnel from London]]

[[Category:18th-century British Army personnel]]

[[Category:19th-century British Army personnel]]